Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.

Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.

Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.

Details

The life and career of Charles-Marie Widor, which began in his home town of Lyon, parallels closely that of his near contemporary, Guilmant, in many respects. They were both from a long line of organists and organ builders, both studied under Lemmens, both had successful provincial careers before they received the call to Paris, and both had long-term appointments at major Parisian churches. Widor presided at St-Sulpice for sixty-four years; famously the church authorities forgot to confirm his appointment after the initial one-year trial period, making it probably the longest probationary period in history. He made his Paris debut one year after Guilmant, also at St-Sulpice, and also took part in the dedication of the organ at Notre-Dame. Whereas Guilmant’s compositional effort was almost entirely directed towards the organ and the church, Widor cherished much wider aspirations and had successes in the fields of chamber music and the theatre. Aside from a few smaller pieces the bulk of his organ writing is concentrated in the ten symphonies, the equivalent of Guilmant’s eight sonatas. Symphony No 7 was published in 1887, the third of the set of four (Nos 5 to 8) which form his Op 42. The vigorous triple-time Finale is the last of six movements, and is effectively an extended and continuous develop­ment section, based on the striding theme heard in the pedals underneath sustained open fifths. After this striking opening the theme is played legato in the top part accompanied by staccato chords, a favourite textural device. The energy level is kept high, in a continuous whirl of velocity, as the music moves towards flatter keys. A return to the brightness of A minor is accompanied by a vortex of scalic figuration. The final peroration is preceded by a cadenza.